The Lost Art of Writing With a Fountain Pen

I noticed Chris when I was walking through National Airport in D.C. Sitting at the airport Starbucks, he was writing in an old-fashioned ruled journal with a fountain pen. Nearby, at the ready, was his ink-stained blotter. At the adjacent table was another guy with, predictably, an open laptop.

I was so astonished that I circled back and asked if I could take a photo. Chris was quite agreeable. “It’s my sanity,” he said. He had on green sneakers and was on his way to Aspen, CO.

Can you remember when you kept a journal? I wrote one for years but never mastered the art of a fountain pen. Wish I had asked more about what he was writing but I didn’t want to intrude.